The invention is directed to pan and tilt mount mechanisms and more particularly to a pan and tilt mount that is remotely operated with precision positioning and repositioning.
The prior art, other than manually operated device, generally consists of pan and tilt mount mechanisms which are remotely operated by reversable D.C. shunt motors or A.C. Servomotor systems.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,164,838 issued to E. L. Heinrich teaches the use of reversable D.C. shunt motors. The pan portion does not rotate through 360.degree. and as a result must necessarily reverse itself every 350.degree.. 10.degree. or rotation is not available for panning. This device is not capable of accurate precise movement, the holding of a precise location when movement is terminated or the capability of returning to an erect rotational location.
The servomotor pan and tilt systems are a considerable improvement over the D.C. shunt motor system; however, the main draw back is the high economical cost of producing a servomotor system. This system is capable of position accuracy of within 1/2 of a degree or arc, but has very poor rotational speed control. This system is not capable of a pan rotation through 360.degree. of travel in any one direction.
A major problem of the currently existing pan and tilt mounts is the inability to pan through 360.degree. of continuous rotation. In these systems the electric cables interconnecting the remotely positioned controls are continuously dragged back and forth as the pan continues to reverse its direction of rotation when one end of its path or travel is reached. In a short period of time the cables and their connectors require repair or replacement.
The requirement for a highly accurate positionable pan and tilt mount the pan portion of which is capable of 360.degree. of rotation, a positioning and repositioning accuracy of 1/100 of a degree of rotation has existed for a number of years and this need has continued to exist until the emergence of this invention.